Author Topic: A Ninth Planet?  (Read 5212 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Askold

  • Definitely not hiding a dark secret.
  • Global Moderator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8358
  • Gender: Male
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #15 on: January 21, 2016, 03:39:40 pm »
Unless a rogue black hole eats up the sun. Or Earth.

One scientist did claim that a black hole flying through Earth wouldn't do much damage as it would go through before it had enough time to swallow much of the planet. Not sure on the math on that since I don't know how we would know how fast Earth and the black hole would be moving, relative to each other.
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Aww, you guys rock. :)  I feel the love... and the pitchforks and torches.  Tingly!

Offline Tolpuddle Martyr

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3716
  • Have you got thumbs? SHOW ME YOUR FUCKING THUMBS!
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #16 on: January 21, 2016, 04:08:02 pm »
Don't really small black holes have a really short lifespan. Recall reading something about Hawking radiation that I'm not clever enough to understand.

Art Vandelay

  • Guest
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2016, 04:17:07 pm »
Black holes aren't cosmic vacuum cleaners, they're subject to gravity and orbital mechanics just like any other celestial body. They only way in which they'll suck up a star or planet is if the black hole passes close enough that the snack in question ends up below the event horizon (functionally speaking, a collision course). Otherwise, it'll just slingshot straight by like anything else.

Offline RavynousHunter

  • Master Thief
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8108
  • Gender: Male
  • A man of no consequence.
    • My Twitter
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2016, 04:29:32 pm »
Unless a rogue black hole eats up the sun. Or Earth.

One scientist did claim that a black hole flying through Earth wouldn't do much damage as it would go through before it had enough time to swallow much of the planet. Not sure on the math on that since I don't know how we would know how fast Earth and the black hole would be moving, relative to each other.

Nope, we'd have centuries of advanced warning, at least.  Black holes output gigantic amounts of radiation, especially x-rays and gamma rays, which we can detect very easily.  Even if it were traveling at the speed of light, the mass of radiation coming from it would be far ahead of the event horizon, so we'd see it coming a long time before it could do us any appreciable damage.
Quote from: Bra'tac
Life for the sake of life means nothing.

Offline Askold

  • Definitely not hiding a dark secret.
  • Global Moderator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8358
  • Gender: Male
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #19 on: January 21, 2016, 04:32:35 pm »
Unless a rogue black hole eats up the sun. Or Earth.

One scientist did claim that a black hole flying through Earth wouldn't do much damage as it would go through before it had enough time to swallow much of the planet. Not sure on the math on that since I don't know how we would know how fast Earth and the black hole would be moving, relative to each other.

Nope, we'd have centuries of advanced warning, at least.  Black holes output gigantic amounts of radiation, especially x-rays and gamma rays, which we can detect very easily.  Even if it were traveling at the speed of light, the mass of radiation coming from it would be far ahead of the event horizon, so we'd see it coming a long time before it could do us any appreciable damage.

...So we would know what is going to kill us but we wouldn't have a way to prevent it?
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Aww, you guys rock. :)  I feel the love... and the pitchforks and torches.  Tingly!

Offline dpareja

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 5680
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #20 on: January 21, 2016, 05:02:48 pm »
Unless a rogue black hole eats up the sun. Or Earth.

One scientist did claim that a black hole flying through Earth wouldn't do much damage as it would go through before it had enough time to swallow much of the planet. Not sure on the math on that since I don't know how we would know how fast Earth and the black hole would be moving, relative to each other.

Nope, we'd have centuries of advanced warning, at least.  Black holes output gigantic amounts of radiation, especially x-rays and gamma rays, which we can detect very easily.  Even if it were traveling at the speed of light, the mass of radiation coming from it would be far ahead of the event horizon, so we'd see it coming a long time before it could do us any appreciable damage.

...So we would know what is going to kill us but we wouldn't have a way to prevent it?

We'd have centuries to develop ways to prevent (or avoid) it.
Quote from: Jordan Duram
It doesn't concern you, Sister, that kind of absolutist view of the universe? Right and wrong determined solely by a single all-knowing, all powerful being whose judgment cannot be questioned and in whose name the most horrendous acts can be sanctioned without appeal?

Quote from: Supreme Court of Canada
Being required by someone else’s religious beliefs to behave contrary to one’s sexual identity is degrading and disrespectful.

Offline RavynousHunter

  • Master Thief
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8108
  • Gender: Male
  • A man of no consequence.
    • My Twitter
Re: A Ninth Planet?
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2016, 06:33:55 pm »
Unless a rogue black hole eats up the sun. Or Earth.

One scientist did claim that a black hole flying through Earth wouldn't do much damage as it would go through before it had enough time to swallow much of the planet. Not sure on the math on that since I don't know how we would know how fast Earth and the black hole would be moving, relative to each other.

Nope, we'd have centuries of advanced warning, at least.  Black holes output gigantic amounts of radiation, especially x-rays and gamma rays, which we can detect very easily.  Even if it were traveling at the speed of light, the mass of radiation coming from it would be far ahead of the event horizon, so we'd see it coming a long time before it could do us any appreciable damage.

...So we would know what is going to kill us but we wouldn't have a way to prevent it?

We'd have centuries to develop ways to prevent (or avoid) it.


Bingolio.  Since we'd see it coming, we'd direct all our efforts to stopping it, and even a single century is a LONG time in the world of science.
Quote from: Bra'tac
Life for the sake of life means nothing.